After the draft was over, when Wang Zelin went downstairs to meet his two future young men, he ran into an old acquaintance.
NBA Vice President Stu Jackson.
Ever since Wang Zelin entered the league, the relationship between the two has been very good. After Bald Hua came to power, Stu Jackson became the league's executive vice president of basketball operations.
The two briefly said hello and chatted for a while.
"Wang, your performance in the finals was unforgettable. To win the championship under those circumstances is great enough."
Jackson congratulated Wang Zelin, and his words seemed to indicate that he was not very satisfied with the scale of the finals whistleblowing.
"Haha, I don't want to experience that kind of finals again." Wang Zelin smiled and shrugged.
"Will do."
Jackson glanced around, then walked to Wang Zelin and whispered.
"Actually, I also miss the kind of basketball in the Stern era. I will work hard to win the recognition of the board of directors."
After he said this, the staff there reminded him that it was time to take photos with the young players.
Wang Zelin looked at Stu Jackson's back with thoughtful eyes.
His current status in the league has long been high. After winning three consecutive championships and establishing the Trail Blazers dynasty, his popularity and popularity can even approach that of Jordan back then.
Two years ago, he was unable to have much influence on the appointment of the league president, but now, he can already make his voice heard to the outside world.
Stu Jackson should be a good replacement.
When he came back to his senses, he saw that Zubac and McCaw had gathered together and must have been chatting for a while.
The two of them looked very young, but they were very chatty, especially under the influence of the little catfish McCaw, the two of them had a great time chatting with Orsi.
"I can't wait to play with you. It will be the honor of my life to play for a great team like the Portland Trail Blazers."
Obviously, McCaw could play for the Warriors, Cavaliers and Raptors successively after the 2016 draft, and won championships with these three teams, becoming the only player to win three consecutive championships in the second decade of the new century.
NBA players who become famous must have something special about them.
Just from the first conversation, Wang Zelin could feel that McCaw was very tense in his words and deeds, and exuded a strong sense of confidence, making it easy for people to trust him.
To put it bluntly, a character like this can easily get along no matter what team environment he is in.
"Welcome to join our family."
Wang Zelin smiled and hugged him, giving him the greatest encouragement.
After chatting with McCaw, Wang Zelin turned to look at Zubac next to him.
On the contrary to McCaw, Zubac looked very mature and steady, and didn't say much. But when he saw Wang Zelin walking up, Zubac looked at him with a hint of respect and admiration unconsciously.
Oops, it seems that this little brother is still a fan of mine!
But come to think of it, Wang Zelin also plays the center position. As Wang Zelin's achievements become higher and higher, his influence among world basketball stars becomes more and more widespread. Many NBA players who have grown up in the younger generation regard him as the current No. 1 player.
People regard them as idols.
Just like Jordan, Kobe, James and others in the past, he has gradually become a living legend in the hearts of a generation.
Ahem, although this description is a bit strange, it is enough to show Wang Zelin's terrifying influence now.
Both Zubac and McCaw have learned from Orsi that the reason why they were chosen was entirely because Wang Zelin took a fancy to them.
This made the two young people feel excited and honored. At the same time, they also had more expectations for the future and less anxiety.
As we all know, all the rookies selected by the Trail Blazers in the past two or three years have been successful, and the reason why they were selected by the defending champion was naturally inseparable from Wang Zelin's hand-picked selection.
Nowadays, Zubac and Mika have become the rookies selected by Wang Zelin in the draft. Considering that their predecessors Jokic and Harrell were also selected by Wang Zelin, and then quickly grew into the best rookies in the same class, it is no wonder that the two of them
This series of thoughts will arise in your mind.
After greeting the two future young men, Wang Zelin found Orsi and learned that the latter had not found a suitable trade proposal. After the draft, the two returned to Portland together.
Zubac and McCaw have been hired, and the Trail Blazers' draft this year has been completed. The rest depends on the summer league inspection.
Next, the upcoming free agent market transactions are the real highlight, not only what kind of compensation the Blazers can get this summer, but other absolute reinforcements are also very important.
If you want to win four consecutive championships, you must know yourself and the enemy to win every battle.
Just as the free market was about to begin, two major things happened in the league.
After the Spurs were eliminated, Tim Duncan finally announced his official retirement on his personal social media after a month.
Just as Wang Zelin remembers, there was no gorgeous retirement tour, no press conference where reporters gathered, just a simple message:
"I'm retiring."
This news caught everyone off guard.
But I have to admit that this way of handling it is very Duncan.
But what is somewhat surprising is that in Duncan’s updated tweet, he also liked one person in particular.
It’s not the old partners Parker and Ginobili, nor the mentor and friend Sima Wei, nor the Leonard and Love who represent the future of the coach, but Wang Zelin.
"King, from now on, the future is yours!"
This simple sentence triggered another wave of heated discussions among fans, and the popularity of Wang Zelin, who had just achieved three consecutive championships, reached a new peak.
"There is no more stone Buddha in the world. Thank you Tim Duncan for accompanying us for nineteen years!"
"The greatest power forward in the NBA, this is also the most low-key superstar! Thank you for filling my entire youth, the great stone Buddha Duncan!"
"The legend of a generation has come to an end, but fortunately, he chose to pass the torch to the king. New legends are still being written, and the flame of inheritance will never end!"
…
…
When Wang Zelin saw this, he was filled with emotions.
He really didn't expect that the only Aite person in the news about Duncan's retirement would be himself.
Recalling the many fights between the two in the past, he suddenly felt that he seemed to have struck too hard.
However, I am afraid that it was the two teams that fought tooth and nail every time they met that earned him the recognition of the legendary star.
Just when fans were still immersed in the sadness of Duncan's retirement, another thing quickly attracted their attention:
According to the latest report from Woj, Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant has officially announced his entry into the free trade market, and if nothing else goes wrong, the Golden State Warriors will be his first transfer target.
Another major incident has struck. The off-season has just begun, and the entire summer has been completely ignited.